:: Mr Willem turns 8 months::

WILLEM

Age:8 months
Favourite food: Pumpkin still. We've progressed to our actual pumpkin soup now.
New tricks: 1) Leaning to the side to try and get a peek at the next book page while I'm turning it.
2) Putting his arms out to be picked up.

Words: We have a first word! "Dad-dad" (naturally). I reckon he was saying "mum-mum" the week before saying "dad-dad" but that's seems to be forgotten for the time being.
Mobility: Not crawling yet. Twists around in circle on his belly using his hands. Tries dragging himself forward, but finds it hard on the carpet.
Sleeping: Waking 2 times a night for a feed. As he still isn't eating a heap of solids, and we are still figuring out allergies (potato made his poor mouth and surrounds go bright red!), I feel the need to keep him fuelled at night. He has 2 day naps, and sometimes one short early-evening-power-nap before bed.

Willem is going really well, and I've narrowed down most food intolerances now, I feel. We have booked him in to see a private paediatric allergy specialist February next year (earliest we could get). In the meantime, I've had the opportunity to speak to a wonderful naturopath who's own children have all had severe allergies/in tolerances of the same kind. She's given me some great information and said it sounds like Willem is reactive to the food chemical 'amines'. It's a naturally occurring element in foods, and some are higher in it than others. For example, bananas and chocolate (cocoa) are both very high in amines, hence his reaction. Turns out avocados are also high in amines, so maybe that contributed to the massive flare-up he had last week, since I had also given him avo for the first time last week. I may have to do an elimination diet, which involves going off all possible allergy foods, and then one by one introducing them back in.

At the moment his skin is the clearest it's been in ages, so I'm very thankful that I've discovered most possible allergens. Some days I just want to eat a big stink'n donut, but it's so worth his happy smiling, clear-skinned face to stay super strict on my diet.

Oh boy do I have some cute photos for you this month! He was an absolute model, and even had a whole 'hand on the leg' thing going! I couldn't stop laughing. Got so many photos, so it was really hard to narrow them down. I threw an extra couple in. ;)